2004 Year-End Round-Up
by Eugene Novikov
"Frustrating" is maybe the best word to describe cinematic 2004 -- not because the output was significantly below average, but because the number of instances wherein I was right and everyone else was wrong seemed to increase exponentially. But though the amount of good movies that were hated and bad movies that were loved is probably unprecedented as well, it is the intensity of these misguided feelings that got to me. But what can you expect when your #1 movie of the year shows up on every second worst list?
"Arrogance!" many will scream. How dare I call other people "wrong" on something as "subjective" as movies? But perhaps those people have forgotten the age-old maxim: "Everyone is entitled to denigrate the opinions of those with whom they disagree." In addition, those who interact with me may notice that I am not nearly so aggressive in trying to bash universally liked films that I don't like as I am in defending what I think are good movies unfairly maligned (though this year the intolerable Garden State threatened this arrangement). And yeah, in defending those movies I have a tendency to get at least superficially nasty. But what kind of fan would I be if I didn't? The rest of you are comfortable in your majority opinion, but here's a good flick being universally shit on, and all I can do is throw my arms around it and call everyone names. Give me a break.
Oscar-wise I must admit I'm fairly satisfied -- I like all but one of the films in the running for Best Picture, and the one I dislike (The Phantom of the Opera) seems to be rapidly dropping out of the race. The #2 slot on my top ten list is actually occupied by a heavy favorite, so I am put in the generally unenviable position of pushing for the movie that is already winning all the awards. A rather depressing air of inevitability hangs over the entire affair, but then what else is new? I'm left hoping for a ridiculous surprise, like a Best Picture nomination for Vera Drake maybe, or a Best Actress nod for Nicole Kidman in Birth. That would rock.
Spartan: Mamet's home is in satire, con games, and flamboyant trickery, but this year he proved that he is equally comfortable with political intrigue. Confusing, difficult and exhilirating.
The Clearing: Clever and heartfelt kidnapping drama with a diabolically fractured chronology and three powerhouse lead performances. Not really underrated, but not talked about nearly enough.
The Aviator: Scorsese does old Hollywood, and it's beautiful. The trailer made it look for all the world like the most boring movie ever made, shameless Oscar bait biopic nonsense. I should have known better. It's terrific, thoughtful entertainment.
Birth: One of the many fine (and not-so-fine) films I didn't get the chance to review, this is one of the year's most interesting works -- a mood piece, yes, but also a head-spinningly complex treatise on the nature of love and memory. Find it on DVD.
Before Sunset: A worthy sequel to what I actually thought was a very upsetting little movie; less unabashed romanticism this time, more awkwardness and contemplation. The best roles Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy will ever have.
Broken Wings: This quickly forgotten gem from Israel earns a spot on here for bringing my up when I was down. Dismissed in many circles as sentimental pap, so be warned. I liked it a lot.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Great sci-fi, epic, stirring and complex, no matter what anybody says. David Twohy is my hero for having the guts to make this movie.
The Dreamers: Deeply cynical critique of idealism dressed up as an ode to cinephilia. Wonderful stuff.
Crimson Gold: Hard-hitting Iranian polemic is some of the harshest social commentary this side of Dogville.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Released early in the year, which means no one remembers it, which I guess is kind of ironic in a lame and clumsy way. Charlie Kaufman is still a genius.
Friday Night Lights: Just exemplary, immediately raising my expectations of Peter Berg's career. So good in almost every way that a stronger ending might have put it among the very best of the year.
Hero: Gorgeous. Just beautiful. Some people say it's fascist, and maybe it is a little bit, but who the hell cares? Ravishing.
I'm Not Scared: The best movie I saw at Telluride in 2003 rightfully takes its place among the honorable mentions a year and a half later. I've talked a lot about this one already in various venues; it's pretty terrific.
The Incredibles: Not really a kids' movie, though I suppose it's a fine "family film" -- basically, it's an animated thriller/satire, and a fine addition to Pixar's pantheon.
Open Water: Scary and disturbing; a gimmick movie, but what a gimmick.
Primer: I need to see this again.
The Punisher: And I still say no one understood it. Come on people, all together now: IRONY. That's good.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow: Kerry Conran is a computer whiz, but he's a filmmaker first and foremost. This throwback adventure looks unbelievable, but it stands on the merits of its story.
Strayed: Enchanting work from Andre Techine; I guess it was too "art-house" for most.
The Terminal: The opposite of Strayed. Tremendous crowd-pleaser from Spielberg; the score by John Williams is among the year's best.
Wicker Park: A masterful romantic thriller unjustly ignored around Labor Day. Some of the year's best cinematography and editing.
Coffee and Cigarettes: Jim Jarmusch and Wes Anderson deserve each other.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: Jim Jarmusch and Wes Anderson deserve each other.
Napoleon Dynamite: Put Jared Hess on a list with Jim Jarmusch and Wes Anderson. I bet he'd be flattered.
A Love Song for Bobby Long: No seething hatred from my end, just a vague indifference.
A Very Long Engagement: Jean-Pierre Jeunet really likes the color yellow.
Bad Education: Much the same way that I often think that those who dislike the movies I love "don't get it," I am convinced that Pedro Almodovar is over my head. As such, I'm even more ignorable than usual.
De-Lovely: Zzzzzzzzzzz...
Garden State: Don't even get me started on this shallow piece of hackwork... Actually it's not that bad, but everyone loves it so much that I want to come up with the strongest invective possible.
Hellboy: "My kind of movie," through and through, and I was really looking forward to it, but it didn't work for me. I like my comic book movies to make at least some sense.
House of Flying Daggers: Look, I like Hero as much as the next guy, but will someone explain to me what's so good about this one? Conventional story, repetitive and unimpressive visuals, one huge anti-climax.
The Manchurian Candidate: I usually wind up defending remakes, but not this time. Satire masterpiece is turned into something boring, poker-faced and confused.
Beyond the Sea: Zzzzzzz...
Van Helsing: Y'all can keep The Day After Tomorrow. I'll take this rollicking vampire flick any day of the week.
The Forgotten: Maybe my love of The X-Files blinded me, but did no one else notice how much fun this movie was?
The Final Cut: Okay, so the distribution pattern was retarded. The movie was still solid, thoughtful science-fiction.
Exorcist: The Beginning: Good work by Renny Harlin, even if I'd give up a limb to see the Schrader version.
Envy: I think I had one of two positive reviews for this in the entire country. My sense of humor is bizarre.
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights: Yeah, I know, I know. But did anyone expect this movie to even be tolerable?
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: Look, I wasn't thrilled with it either, but there's no reason to tear into it. It was still funny.
The Ladykillers: Perhaps expectations of the Coen Bros. skewed others' perceptions; I thought it was hilarious, one of the most quotable movies of the year.
The Butterfly Effect: This movie was ridiculed, which I thought was pretty mean. Come on, people: these guys are trying, and succeeding more often than most. For all its perceived absurdities, this flick had a brain in its head.
Man on Fire: Probably underwhelming as a whole, but there's some stunningly brilliant stuff here from Tony Scott, and a great performance by Dakota Fanning.
Jersey Girl: Don't get the hatred for this one either. Kevin Smith is trying to actually become a filmmaker.
Darkness: I'm convinced the bad reviews for this were purely reactionary. No movie released as counterprogramming around Christmas and not screened for the press can be liked. Nonetheless it was good; creepy and atmospheric, with a killer ending.
Alfie: Surprisingly dark and profoundly affecting, this movie wasn't so much bashed as it was ignored.
Wicker Park, The Terminal, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Punisher: See above.
The Village: See below.
Note:: Todd Solondz's Palindromes, which would have topped this list, got bumped to 2005.
10. Soul Plane: Too easy to pick on, maybe, but it was bad beyond belief. The depressing part is how funny it could have been.
9. Thunderbirds: I hope there's another Star Trek movie soon so that Jonathan Frakes can go back to doing something productive. To think that the man who made the best ST movie in the series is also capable of producing dreck like this.
8. Alexander: It's all been said.
7. Welcome to Mooseport: So much talent, such a premise, such a disaster. I defy anyone to find more than two laughs in this movie.
6. Connie and Carla: Gay people are flamboyant and amusing! Love them for these reasons!
5. Two Brothers: Leave it to Jean-Jacques Annaud to make two drop-dead adorable baby animals completely unbearable over the course of two hours. Much was made of the difficulties involved in filming wild animals; that makes this disaster all the sadder.
4. The Passion of the Christ: Nothing but a bloody attempt at affirmation of evangelical Christian beliefs. The filmmaking is worthless; the conceit, which forces the likes of Jim Caviezel and Monica Belucci to speak Aramaic, is the height of arrogance; the violence is as pornographic as everyone says; the movie is despicable.
3. The Whole Ten Yards: A stunningly inept sequel to a pleasant, airy, funny original. I still cannot fathom what the hell happened; it might be the most stunning quality disparity between two installments in a franchise.
2. Catwoman: Ripping off better movies is one thing, but please do it competently. The hero has no personality; the action scenes, invariably filmed like music videos, have even less.
1. Surviving Christmas: More unpleasant than The Passion of the Christ, less funny than Welcome to Mooseport, more offensive than Soul Plane, feels longer than Alexander.
10. Kill Bill Vol. 2: Here at last is the Kill Bill I was waiting for, a movie worthy of Tarantino. He ditches the first installment's onanistic tendencies in favor of telling a real story. No longer are his flourishes mere indulgences, overwhelming the plot at every turn. This is one of the most beautiful movies of the year, but also one of the most stirring and involving.
9. The Bourne Supremacy: Yeah, it's a spy thriller, but it's one of the most skillful ever made. Matt Damon is unquestionably a star, and Paul Greengrass, formerly one of the most exciting indie directors, has become one of the most exciting Hollywood directors. Bring on The Watchmen.
8. Million Dollar Baby: Mystic River seems overwrought in hindsight, but I doubt any such thing will be said of Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. This movie only gets stronger as it gets quieter. It is stunning as a story, as a deconstruction of Eastwood's macho persona, and as a comeback for Hilary Swank, who is back with a vengeance after five years of nothing of note.
7. The Return: A character drama posing as a thriller, this is the year's most impressive directorial debut. An unremittingly intense experience despite the obstacle of nothing much actually happening, the movie finds its suspense in cloudy skies, in the dynamic between two brothers, in a pulsating soundtrack, in the backseat of a car.
6. Spider-Man 2: Less clean and neat than Raimi's own original, maybe, but also more intricate and complex, giving even more weight to the characters' personal dilemmas while staging some of the most spectacular action sequences ever put to film. Surely there is no Hollywood franchise with more promise for the future.
5. P.S.: No one cares much about this movie, but I fell in love with it when I saw it at Telluride. The character writing is complex and nuanced, and the lead performances enchanting. Too small for mainstream notice, maybe, but I expected at least the Village Voice to notice it. Oh well.
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Oh, I just know this series doesn't have another movie as good as this in store for us, so cherish this one. Cuaron moves the camera, lets his characters get angry, gives Hogwarts a sense of place, and makes the story intensely personal. This is as good as anyone had any right to hope.
3. Vera Drake: The Abortion Movie, but Mike Leigh is less interested in the controversy than one might think, preferring instead to make a heartbreaking drama about a woman whose worldview comes into conflict with the legal system. Leigh doesn't preach or moralize, and his stance on abortion is anybody's guess (though it is possible to make an intelligent one); "I know why you're here" might be the single most powerful line of dialogue of the year.
2. Sideways: It's met with so much critical success that it's no longer hip to like it, but that's unlikely to stop me. Kind of like Alexander Payne's second try at About Schmidt, only considerably more successful, it mixes genuine comedy with genuine poignancy. Miles Raymond broke my heart.
1. The Village: Still the best movie of the year, still the most underappreciated, still the least understood. Its widespread critical drumming is the most frustrating experience of my moviegoing career. But screw everyone else, none of whom have ever heard the word "allegory"; screw all of them, with their useless expectations and idiotic opportunism (The twist is not what we expected! ATTACK!). M. Night Shyamalan's best film to date is head-spinningly complicated, achingly beautiful, damn near life-changing. His only mistake was expecting his audience to think.
©2004 Eugene Novikov